Factors associated with hazardous alcohol use among vocational college students

Abstract

The aim of this cross – sectional study was to investigate the factors associated with hazardous alcohol use. Nine hundred adolescents participated in this investigation studying in the fields of construction, electricity and accounting at vocational colleges at the municipality of Nakhon Ratchasima Province. A multistage sampling technique wasused for selectingthe students from a totalof5colleges considering the size of the college, the male/female ratio and whether the students were enrolled in a certificate or diploma course.Hazardous alcohol drinking was assessed by applying the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT).For statistical assessment aunivariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression was applied. From all students 35.7% were found to be hazardous alcohol drinkers. From those 72.3% were males and 24.8% female students. The proportion of hazardous alcohol drinkers increased withage forbothgenders. The multivariate exam inationindicated that alcohol drinking of peers had an influence on males but not on females and alcohol consumption of siblings had no influence on hazardous alcoholdrinkingfor malesandfemales. Learningabilitiesof female student sasassessed by the Grade Point Average (GPA) were related to hazardous alcohol drinking. The consumption of alcohol by females with the lowest Grade Point Average (GPA) was five times higher in comparison with those female students with the highest GPA (adj. OR 5.02,95% CI1.32–19.13). The selection of study subjects also hadan influence on alcohol drinking of female students.Studying in order to become an electrician (adj. OR 0.01 95% CI 0.01 – 0.38) and the selection of accounting as studysubject (adj. OR 0.06,95% CI0.01–0.88)hadaprotective effect interm sof alcohol drinking in comparison to those females studying construction. A similar relationship was found for male students only for thevariable‘studying to become anelectrician’ which hadapreventive effect for male students (adj. OR 0.43,95% CI0.24–0.77) incomparison with students studying construction. It is concluded that lower GPA is associated withhigher risks of hazardous drinking